Since Pacific Rim hit theaters last weekend, critics and fans alike have raved about the movie’s high-energy action sequences. In fact, it might be more accurate to call it one 131-minute action sequence. The film takes place in the not-so-distant future, where gargantuan sea monsters called Kaiju wreak havoc on coastal cities, arriving to Earth via a portal on the ocean floor. To defend themselves, humans build sky-high robots, Jaegers, each controlled by two psychically linked pilots. Epically raucous amphibious battles ensue. But in a summer of countless big-budget apocalyptic releases, it sounds like pretty standard fare. So, what sets Pacific Rim apart? Is it the moment when a Jaeger repurposes an oil tanker as a nightstick? Or, perhaps the scurryings of Kaiju skin lice?

By making this particular monster larger, ILM perverts the scale found elsewhere.

Well, it’s neither and both. Pacific Rim’s secret sauce is its mastery of scale, which uses impressively realistic imagery to help the audience understand a fundamental part of this story: the size relationship between the humans, their Jeagers, and the Kaiju.

Given that live action shots only made up roughly thirty percent of the film, the task of creating clear and consistent scale fell on Industrial Light & Magic, the Academy Award-winning visual effects studio behind film series such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Transformers and more. Working with famously imaginative director Guillermo Del Toro, they knew the project would have high ambitions. “Guillermo was really upfront while we were working on this that ‘I’m channeling my inner fourteen year old, I’m trying to make the movie that would have blown my mind when I was [that age],” said John Knoll, ILM’s Chief Creative Officer.

In most shots, there are a couple precise details that exaggerate the scale differences. Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

For example, look here at the scaffolding before the jaeger. Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

There are also constant reminders of the humans and the center of the machine—which keeps the fight scenes feeling relatable.Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

In order to deliver on that directive, Knoll and his team worked closely with story boarders to incorporate visual effects that not only complemented Del Toro’s fanciful style, but that also made the science fiction spatially believable. This careful consideration can be found throughout the film. During the debut Kaiju attack in San Francisco, the audience first sees a massive claw tearing through a section of the Golden Gate bridge, framed at street level. Shortly after, the camera pulls back to show fighter jets flying closely by the creature, revealing it entirely. The sequence finishes with an aerial view of its carcass spanning the length of an aircraft carrier, giving viewers a third point of reference in about as many shots.

Jaegers are comparably sized, but ILM uses scale to articulate the brute power of their mechanics. Gypsy Danger’s armed fist serves as it’s weapon of choice, casually blasting away Kaiju in battle. It isn’t until a pilot loses control of the robot in its holding silo that the weapon’s size and potency becomes apparent, the increasing bright blue charge engulfing the screen and inciting panic among onlooking scientists. Later on, in what’s perhaps the most blatant analogy, a Jaeger reaches down into a Hong Kong bay and handily produces a large ship, which it uses like a club to bludgeon its alien adversary. Of course, other more subtle details serve the same purpose. Kaiju skin lice are the perfect example. While they could easily be written off as a nerdish novelty, the tortoise-sized parasites are an absurd reminder of the monster’s gargantuan proportions.

Tortoise-sized parasites are an absurd reminder of the monster’s gargantuan proportions.

Similarly, Kaiju organ dealer Hannibal Chow elaborately displays entrails at his Hong Kong lair, including a hanging brain specimen that dwarfs humans standing near it. In fact, the monsters skin alone creates scale: in close up shots ILM gave it an intricate texture to further amplify the creature’s size. Even in one of the film’s more abstract moments, which explores how one lead character remembers a childhood Kaiju attack, scale is still a prominent stylistic element. “How does that manifest itself? One of the first questions is, well how big is this monster,” Knoll explained. By making this particular monster larger, ILM perverts the scale they’ve established elsewhere in the movie, distinguishing the scene as subjectively skewed.

Ok, so, scale still might not be the sexiest reason to head to the movies. Still, the next time you head out to see a hyped up sci-fi blockbuster, enjoy the show, but remember this: some of the best visual effects aren’t just what you see, they’re how you see it too.